Culture Shock
by aWildSheepChase
Summary: Nick and Judy are sent on an assignment that puts them at risk of losing their lives, when all Nick wants to do is celebrate his best friend's birthday. Set before Lion King 1; Simba is a cub, Scar is alive, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Judy Hopps did not wake up to her alarm. She did not wake up to the birds chirping outside her window, arguing over a pair of jeans. She didn't even wake up to Nicholas Wilde as he snuck into her room. The fox walked over to her bed and leaned over, his muzzle inches from her long ears.

"Happy birthday." he whispered.

The rabbit shot straight up in bed with a cry, whacking her head against Nick's with a terrible thunk. Both animals held their heads in agony for a moment, whimpering.

In his paw, Nick had been holding some flowers, which he dropped after being struck by Judy's hard head. "Oops," the fox bent down and began gathering them off the dirty floor.

"Oh, are..." Judy swung her legs to dangle over the side of the bed. "Are those for me...?

Blushing, Nicholas stood up straight and offered them to her. "If you still want them." The flowers wilted pathetically, puking pollen in the floor.

"Oh, Nick." she laughed, throwing her arms around the fox. "Clever fox, knowing I'd like flowers..." she murmured teasingly into his fur.

"Did I know you were a female, and that all female species enjoy flowers?" aske Nick, rubbing the soft fur between her ears. "Then yes. Yes I did."

Judy grinned, hugging the fox tightly around his waist.

"Uh, um... Hey, Carrots?" he held her back at length and smiled down at her. "I was thinking since today was your big day, we could go somewhere nice for breakfast. My treat."

"Nick, you know it's an officer's duty to put the needs of others before their own..." Judy sighed, hopping off the bed and swiping her badge off of a table. As she pinned the object to her vest, she continued speaking. "What say you about...Dinner?" She asked.

"Would this dinner double as a first date?" asked the fox.

"If you behave yourself, it could very well be." Judy turned and pecked a kiss on the fox's nose. "Now come on. I'm sure Bogo is wondering why were aren't there yet."

"Aye aye, Captain." Nick trotted happily alongside Judy, the two of them poking and teasing one another good-naturedly the whole way. They were so caught up in the game of flirting, that there were just barely listening when Bogo voiced out their assignments for the day. Judy snapped out of her stupor and looked up helplessly at the Chief.

"Can you repeat that, sir?" asked Judy meekly.

Bogo nodded, as if agreeing that his words were hard to believe. "Apparently, there are animal tribes all across the world that have not yet become...Civilized. More than we originally thought..." A pause. Bogo lifted his eyes from the computer and looked at the rabbit and the fox who sat across from him, listening politely. "I would like you two to take a plane, bound for Kenya, first thing tonight."

"Tonight, sir?" asked Judy. Purple eyes shifted to meet Nick's green eyes. "But-"

"The sooner the better." Bogo stood up and gestured with a sweep of his hoof. "You two aren't the only ones I'm sending out across the world. So don't think you're getting special treatment. You're excused."

"You're sending others out with us?" asked Nick Wilde.

"No. It will be just you, and just Judy." he replied forcefully. He tossed a file at the two; Nick caught it and opened it up. "Now you may go." Bogo said with a nod at the door.

Once outside, Judy hopped beside Nick, peeking over his shoulder to check the file. "So what tribe are we cultivating? A tribe of mice? Maybe some exotic monkeys?"

"Lions..." Nick blinked. "We're being sent to the lions. 


	2. Chapter 2

"And just between you and me," Scar leaned in close to the lion cub. "You might want to work on that little roar. Hm?"

"Oh," Simba dropped his eyes. "Okay..."

The dark lion turned and started to make him way out of the gorge.

A thought entered the young prince's head. "Hey, uncle Scar!" Simba cried, perking right up. "Will I like the surprise?"

"Oh Simba, it's to die for!"

...

After reaching a certain point in the grasslands, the native tour guide informed Judy and Nick that this was as far as they go; no technology went beyond this point, in order to preserve the wild in its natural state.

Understandably, the two officers hopped out of the jeep. Upon asking, they were granted the permission to bring one disposable camera and paper notebooks.

Then it was off to locate the tribes. "This is so exciting!" Judy exclaimed, hopping excitedly on her paws. "A whole colony of unsocialized lions..."

"Not to mention the hyenas, giraffes, rhinos, elephants," Nick counted on his paw. "Zebras, ibex, and hippopotamus'..."

"Yeah, but, remember what the tour guide said?"

Nick shrugged. "I wasn't listening."

Judy sighed, walking beside her police partner through the tall grass. "He said that the lions govern over the animals; they're all connected in what's called the Circle of Life. So if we colonize the lions, they'll teach the rest of the animals what we've taught them."

"Unless the lions aren't listening." Nick smiled.

"Oh, look! Wildebeests!" Judy pointed out with her paw towards a massive herd of gnu. The animals all poured into a gorge like a black waterfall, their hooves beating the earth like thunder.

Judy took Nick's paw and ran. "Hurry! Let's go check it out!"

They made haste and stood at the lip of the gorge, staring down into the cavernous landscape. The gnu continued their graceful stampede, flowing seemingly endlessly down one side.

Nick squinted down, then poked Judy, pointing. "Is that an animal hanging on the limb?"

"An animal?" Judy squinted her eyes against the rising dust. "You're right. I think it's a cat."

"If that cat falls off, they'll be trampled." Nick said, swallowing hard.

"We should-"

"Look!" Nick pointed again, this time at a pair of large male lions. They had come to the rescue!

The orange lion flung himself into the herd, racing alongside them before doubling back towards the cub. The branch snapped; the cub was sling-shotted into the air!

The orange lion caught the cub in his mouth and set him gently on a rock. Then the herd overtook him, crushing him.

"Daaaad!" Cried the cub.

A long moment passed. Judy clung to Nick's arm, the two of them staring, unable to look away.

Then the orange lion appeared! He leaped and dug his claws into the face of the rock and started to climb.

Judy hopped up and down and cheered. But Nick fell silent, watching as the dark lion grabbed the other lion with his claws, then shoved him back, forcing him to fall...

"We should get out of sight." Nick said, backing up.

"What, why?" Judy tilted her head in question.

"I think I just witnessed a murder."


End file.
